Despite the early cancellation of Onxy Collective’s “How to Die Alone” at Hulu, creator and star Natasha Rothwell is remaining committed to the show as she shops it around.
“It definitely did come as a shock, but I think this industry is nothing if not ever-changing, and I’m nothing if not resilient,” Rothwell told TheWrap while completing press for “The White Lotus” Season 3. “It took me eight years to get the show made, and I have every intention of taking it out and seeing if there’s an appetite for it.”
“If nothing comes of that, I’m so proud of the work that I’ve done,” Rothwell continued. “I’m so proud of the writers and the actors and that something like that exists in the world, and I’ll continue to fight to write and create content that centers marginalized voices.”
“How to Die Alone,” which launched its first season in September 2024, centered on Mel, “a broke, fat, Black JFK Airport employee who’s never been in love and forgotten how to dream, until an accidental brush with death catapults her on a journey to finally take flight and start living by any means necessary,” per the official logline.
Rothwell starred as Mel in the eight-episode installment alongside Conrad Ricamora, Jocko Sims and KeiLyn Durrel Jones.
The series, which was co-showrun by Vera Santamaria, launched on Hulu’s Onyx Collective, which focuses on projects from creators of color that center marginalized stories, though Rothwell will now shop “How to Die Alone” around for a second season after the streamer opted not to renew the show.
Santamaria revealed she and Rothwell had plotted out a four-season arc for Mel, and Rothwell teased a potential Season 2 would see Mel “continue her journey to falling in love with herself.” “We’ll definitely see her be presented with other opportunities to betray herself, for the sake of short-term satisfaction,” Rothwell said.
The first season of “How to Die Alone” is now streaming on Hulu.
